Bhutan on map with Nissan’s electric cars

The remote Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan signed a deal with Japanese auto giant Nissan on Friday to become the ultimate showcase for electric cars, taking advantage of its abundance of hydropower.

Tshering Tobgay and Carlos Ghosn during the unveiling of the Nissan Leaf electric vehicle in Thimphu on Friday. — AFP

The announcement was made during a visit by Nissan chief executive Carlos Ghosn to Thimphu, the picturesque capital of Bhutan.

Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay said electric vehicles would help meet a target of zero emissions.

“An important part of that plan will be sustainable and environmentally-friendly zero-emission transport,” he added at a joint Press conference with Ghosn.

“We don’t want to rely on and we don’t want to buy fossil fuel,” he added.

To mark the announcement that came on the birthday of Bhutan’s revered king, Nissan said it was donating two of its Leaf electric vehicles to the government.

It will also supply Bhutan’s pool of government cars and fleet of taxis with the same model for an undisclosed price.

Nissan plans to set up a network of charging stations across Thimphu, which industry experts see as vital in persuading motorists to shell out for an electric vehicle.

Wedged between India and China, the “Land of the Thunder Dragon” is famed for its Gross National Happiness development model that specifically takes into account the environment as well as psychological well-being.

Landlocked and mountainous, Bhutan is teeming with rivers and waterfalls that enable it to operate four hydroelectric plants with a combined capacity of 1,400MW — equivalent to a powerful nuclear reactor.

Most of the electricity is sold on to India but Bhutan also has to import traditional fossil fuels to meet the needs of its motorists.

“[Electric vehicles] will help Bhutan to reduce the use of fossile fuels and the need to import foreign oil,” said Ghosn in the Press conference.

Ghosn said the deal would make Bhutan an environmental role model, predicting that the government investment would encourage consumers.

“What we are talking about is the very initial step. Because of this vision that we see for Bhutan, you can expect hundreds or hopefully thousands of Leafs [to be] sold in Bhutan,” he added.